Boiler-flue-cleaning apparatus.



G. S. KYLE. BOILER FLUE CLEANING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 30. 1914.

Patented June 15, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- I nventor 4 1% l 'f iw iy Witnesses tgyzn i Witnesses G. S. KYLE. BOILER FLUE CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, I914. 1 ,143,409. 1 j Patented June 15, 1915.

I mentor,

GEORGE S. KYLE, 0F CHAMBERSBUBG, PENNSYLVANIA;

BOILER-FLUE-CLEANING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 15, 1915.

Application filed September 30, 1914. Serial No. 864,301.

To alZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. KYLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chambersburg, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and useful Boiler-Flue-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in boiler flue cleaning apparatus, one

object of the invention, being the provision of a device of this character adapted to be connected, so that the various seriesv or sections of tubes may be successively cleaned by a steam blast, the continued operation of the present device connecting all of the tubes for simultaneously receiving the steam blast, thus insuring the proper cleaning of the boiler tubes.

A .furtln-r object of the present invention is the provision of a device of this character which is readily applied to any of the present constructions of boilers, and which is readily operable and provides means for indicating the position of the valve therein so.

that the operator at a glance may know which series of tubes are being cleaned and when all series are being cleaned simultaneously.

A still further object of the present invention, is the provision of a device of this character which is simple, inexpensive and durable in construction, and which-is thoroughly efiicient 'and practical in use and readily assembled and taken apart.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being uuderstood that.

changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the dra\\-'i1igsFigurc 1 is a front ele' vation partly in section of a boiler showing the present invention in operable relation thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the present valve construction of the present apparatus showing the valve in the position it assumes when directing steam to all of the fines. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view of the present valve construction taken from the operating end thereof. Fig.

- thus he s n that the stern 5 is a diagram showing the relative position of the ports of the rotary valve member.

boiler, which is provided at its forward end within the walls of the casing thereof, with a header 1, which is divided into four sections into which lead the respective pipes 2. These pipes 2 lead from and are connected to the respective outlet ports 3 of themain valve casing 4. This valve casing 4 is made in the form of acylinder, as illustrated in Fig. 2, being closed by the ends or caps 55', so that the cylindrical. or tubular valve member 6 may be readily disposed and rotated therein. The valve 6 is of lesser length than the interior chamber of the casing 4: and therefore provides a normally open space 7 at one end thereof, into which the steam outlet port 8 opens, a steam directing pipe 9 being disposed in said portf and such port being disposed at any P0111151- within the chamber 7. as may be found desirable. As for-instance, in the structure as shown in Fig. 6, the pipe 9 is in alinement with the pipes 2 upon the upper surface of the valve casing l, while the pipe 9 in the construction or arrangement shown in Fig. 1, is led in at the side. The cap 5 of the casing 4 is provided with the stufiing box 10 in which is adapted to be fitted for rotation, a shaft 11. This shaft 11 is provided with the two spiders 12 and 12 which are fixed thereto and movable therewith so that the same may be readily inserted between the spaced lugs 13 at one end and within the tubular valve 6, to be seated within the re-- cessed lugs 14 at the opposite end of such valve 6 so that when the shaft 11 is rotated, as will presently appear, the tubular valve 6 will als be rotated the'ewith It will I admitted into the clean ber will enter the open end of the tubular valve 6 adjacent thereto and. consequentlyfwill be int'eriorly thereof, to be directed? aslwill presently appear-,to the respective pipes 2, one at a time in succession and finally through all of them simultaneously. In order to accomplish this,

there is provided through the wall of the pipes are shown in the present instance, it is apparent that any number. may be employed according'to the size of the boiler upon which the present device is to be employed.

Thus for instance, the valve 6 is operated so as to place one port 15 n registration with its pipe 2, thus directing steam from the .pipe 9 into the chamber 7 through such port tion with the second pipe 2, and so on until the staggered ports 15 have all been placed in .re istration with their respective pipes. The nal movement of the valve 6 causes the alined ports 16 to be placed in registration simultaneously with the pipes 2, so that the steam is conducted through all of such pipes simultaneously to finally blow out all of the tubes within the boiler in one operation.

It has been found in practice, that this is essential, for the reason that the pressure is concentrated at the initial cleaning of the tubes when the respective ports 15 are placed in registration, while a certain accumulation of soot and dust will enter the tubes after the port 15 has been placed out of registration and before the ports 16 are placed in registration.

In order to operate the valve 6, and at the same time have indications upon the exterior thereof so that the operator may ascertain'at a 'glance the position of the respective ports 15 and 16 relatively to the pipes 2,

a ratchet wheel 18 is straddled by the forked end 19 of the lever 20, such lever 20 and the ratchet 18 being disposed upon the extended end of the shaft 11 adjacent the cap 5, while the ratchet 18 is keyed as at 21 to the shaft s6 as to'be fixed thereto. end 19,is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 11 at opposite sides of the ratchet 18 so that the'same may be.oscillated freely thereupon to-cause the movement of the shaft 11 as de 1 sired through the instrumentality of the pawl 22 secured within the forked end 19 by the pin 23 relatively to the ratchet 18. In. order to limit 'the distance of movement of oscillation of the lever 20, the lug 24 is carried thereby and is disposed in the line of,

.to engage the; respective pins 25 projecting from the outer face of the cap 5.

The indicating marks 26 are disposed circumferentially relatively to the teeth of the ratchet 18, while the indicating numerals 27 are disposed upon the outer face of the .ratchet instead-of the 'circpmferential face of the teeththereof. Thus inthe present instance, the in'dicating N,bs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the letter A are indicated so that when the first port is placed inregistration with the pipe 2, the tooth indicated by No.

The forked 1 will be engaged, and so on throughout the series, while A will indicate that the tooth adjacent to the openings 16 is engaged to place all of such openings in registrationwith the pipe 2 to thus indicate that all 4, thus placing in registration with the first pipe 2, the firstport 15 of the tubular valve 6. The valve is held in this position for a predetermined period so that the soot and other accumulation will be blownfro'm the tubes of the boiler, at-which time, the hair dle 20 is moved-in the opposite direction-to release the pawl 22 from the ratchet At this time, the handle is moved in the opposite direction, thus rotating the valve 6 to place the next succeeding. port 15 in registration with the succeeding pipe 2 and removing the first port 15 from registration with the previously registered pipe 2. This operation is carried on until the-series of pipes 1 2, which may be of any number, are brought separately into play, at which time, the bandle 20 is operated to place the ports 16 in registration with all of the pipes 2, thus permitting the introduction of steam simultaneously toiall pipes 2 to blow out all of' the boiler tubes of the boile: simultaneously.

In the cleaning of boilers, it is found dcsir-. Y

hat any number of pipes may be employcd according tov the capacity or size of the boiler? I v lt is'also possible to connect a single valve. mechanism with a battery of boilers, so that the steam for cleaning may be directed to a selected boilerof the group, and to a selected groupjof tubes of the selected boiler.

What is claimed is:, 1. A boiler flue cleaning apparatus having a casing provided with; a cylindrical chamber, and'a rotatory tubular valve mounted in and in communication from its interior with the chamber, said'valve being of lesser length than the chamber, saidvcasing being provided with ai series of outlet ports and one steam inlet port, the steam inlet port being beyond one end of the valve and said valve being provided with one port for each outlet port of the casing, said ports being'disposed in staggered relation to each other, and with a plurality of alined ports for registration simultaneously with the outlet port, and means for selectively rotating the valve.

2. A boiler flue cleaning apparatus hav ing .a casing, and a rotatory tubular valve disposed therein and in communication with the casing upon the interior thereof, said casing being provided with a series of outports, and means for imparting intermittent rotatory movement'to the .tubular'valve to v dispose the staggered ports one at'a time in registration with the respective outlet ports and for placing the alined ports in registration simultaneously with all of the outlet ports.

3. A boiler flue cleaning apparatus, having a casing, and a rotatory tubular valve disposed therein and in communication with the casing upon the interior thereof, said casing being provided with a series of out-- let ports and one steam inlet port, and said valve being provided with one port for each outlet port of the casing, said ports being disposed in staggered relation to each other,

and with a plurality of alined ports for reg-,

istration simultaneously with the outlet ports, means, for imparting intermittent rotatory movement to the tubular valve to dispose the staggered ports one at a time-in registration with the respective outlet ports and for placing the alined ports in registrar: tion simultaneously with all of the outlet ports, and indicating means to indicate upon the exterior of the casing, the position of the relative ports of the valve.

l. A boiler flue cleaning apparatus including a cylindrical casing having a single steam inlet port and a plurality of alined outlet ports, an open ended tubular valve disposed for rotation within the casing and having the interior thereof at all times in communication with the steam inlet port of the casing, said tubular valve being pro vided with a plurality-0f staggered ports for registration vone at 'a time with the outlet ports of the casing and with a longitudinal series of alined ports for registration simultaneousl with the outlet'portsof the'casing.

, 5. A oiler flue cleaning apparatus including a cylindrical casing having a single steam inlet port and a plurality of almed ports, an open ended tubular valve disposed.

for rotation within the casing and having the interior :thereof at all times in communication with the steam inlet port of the casing, said tubular; valve being provided with a plurality of staggered ports for regiss tration one at a time with the outletports of the casing-and with a longitudinal series l of alined ports for registration simultaneously with the outlet ports of the casing, and

means for impartin intermittent rotatory movement to. the va've to selectively cause the registration of the respective ports thereof with the outlet ports of the casing.

6. A boiler flue cleaning apparatus ineluding acylindrical casing having a single steam inlet port and a plurality of alined outlet ports, aniopen ended tubular valve disposedfor rotation within the casing and having the interior thereof at all times in communication With-the steam inlet port of the casing, said tubular .valve being provided'with a. plurality of staggered ports for registration one at a time Withflthe outlet ports of the casingand with a' longitudinal series of alined ports for registration simultaneously with the outlet ports of the casing,

a shaftjournaled in the casing and operably connected to the valve, the outer end of the shaft being disposed exteriorly of the casing, a ratchet wheel mounted upon the shaft provided with one tooth for each port, a lever mounted upon the shaft for oscillation,'a pawl carried thereby for engaging the ratchet, and coiiperative means carried by the lever and the casing for limiting the distanoe of oscillation of the lever.

r In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

(moses s. KYLE.

Witnesses:

IVY E. SIMPSON, M. E. McCAR'rHY. 

